Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Great King Namsaeng 186
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At that moment, General Sobu-son approached my side and pointed toward the watchtower.
"Cheoryeogeunji is waiting."
"Let's go."
As I dismounted and headed for the watchtower, Cheoryeogeunji of Bisa Fortress had already come down and was waiting there. I gave him a brief reply as he thanked me for saving their fortress, then climbed up to the watchtower. It was built in an especially high spot even within Bisa Fortress, which stood along the valley ridge, so the surrounding area—particularly the sea—came into full view at a glance.
"It's still a sea of fire."
Cheolsan Island and its surroundings remained choked with flames and smoke. Just as General Sobu-son had said, hundreds of enemy ships were sinking or burning. Among the surviving vessels, only about a hundred were intact. General Sobu-son, who had followed me up, pointed with his finger.
"Only the enemy ships that were out in the distant waters beyond Cheolsan Island avoided damage."
"The enemy isn't retreating—they're still landing troops."
"They've been landing since before you arrived, my lord. We sent out our cavalry to delay them with guerrilla tactics, but their commander handled it so skillfully that we couldn't achieve much."
"Zhang Liang, the Grand Overseer of the Pyo'gyeong March, was on the command ship. So it must be someone else. Probably Jeong Myeong-jin, one of the March Overseers."
"How do you know all this?"
I flashed a slight smile at the astonished General Sobu-son and turned back to gaze at the sea. Tang soldiers armed with spears and shields were advancing slowly, trailing the smoke billowing from the burning ships around Cheolsan Island. They had formed a tight shield wall, preventing Bisa Fortress's remaining cavalry from easily closing in. Seeing this, General Sobu-son clicked his tongue.
"They can't have much in the way of supplies left, but I don't know what gives them such nerve."
"More follow-up forces are probably on the way."
"More, you say?"
I nodded at General Sobu-son's surprised question. The Tang records of their 645 campaign against Goguryeo were full of suspicious inconsistencies. For instance, the Pyo'gyeong March was said in the Old Tang History to consist of 43,000 men, but the New Tang History claimed 70,000 participated. Names like those of March Overseers Gu Hyo-chung and Go Sin-gam appeared only in the New Tang History. It was likely that after suffering a devastating defeat at the hands of the Goguryeo forces, they deliberately omitted parts from the records. That meant these 27,000 men were probably reinforcements. General Sobu-son's face darkened as he heard my explanation.
"It's too early to celebrate, then."
"But we've broken their momentum, so they won't attack Bisa Fortress right away."
"True. At least half of them ended up as fish food."
"On top of that, Grand Overseer Zhang Liang was on the command ship when it was hit by Goguryeo Fire. Their chain of command must be in disarray."
"Fang Xiaotai or Jeong Myeong-jin probably took over."
Fang Xiaotai, who had died in a crushing defeat during the Salsu River battle, was one thing—but Jeong Myeong-jin was the very general who had actually captured Bisa Fortress in history. And after that, he had victories at Gwidanseu and Jeokbongjin against the Goguryeo army. I wanted to eliminate him while I had the chance. As I lost myself in thought, the smoke from the burning ships began to dissipate along with the fog. This revealed the situation of the surviving Tang navy. The remaining ships had all pulled into the harbor visible from Bisa Fortress or anchored in shallow waters. Soldiers waded ashore through water up to their waists. Those who reached land first had formed shield walls and were holding firm.
"Even with half their forces gone, they're holding steady."
As I listened to General Sobu-son, the name Jeong Myeong-jin came to mind again. And with that, my next move was decided.
"We need to launch a night raid."
General Sobu-son, hearing me, asked,
"Tonight?"
"Tomorrow or the day after, their reinforcements might arrive. If they do, we could hand the initiative back to them."
Mobilizing even the flying chariots had been to prevent the Pyo'gyeong March from capturing Bisa Fortress or attacking Gun'an Fortress. After sorting through my thoughts for a moment, I said to General Sobu-son,
"The reason their remaining forces are holding so firm despite the massive blow is because they know reinforcements are coming."
"That makes sense. They can regroup and attack again once the follow-ups arrive."
"Exactly. And after getting burned once, they won't cluster their ships at Cheolsan Island again."
"So you're planning to smash them with a night raid?"
"It's risky, but we have no other choice. How many troops can we muster?"
"Excluding the navy, there were originally 5,000 infantry and cavalry stationed here. I brought another 1,000 with me. For defending the fortress, we could get some help from the refugees who fled inside."
"If we don't get careless, we can hold out?"
"Aside from the west gate we came through earlier, there's no way for them to breach the walls. Plus, we have Goguryeo Fire."
"Select 2,000 fast and strong soldiers."
"Will that many be enough?"
"We won't be fighting them head-on."
"Pardon?"
Leaving General Sobu-son puzzled behind me, I looked down toward the harbor. It seemed nearly all the surviving Tang forces had come ashore. Campfires had sprung up amid the various shield formations here and there. Geom Mojam, seeing this, said worriedly,
"They won't break formation even at night. Won't that make a night raid difficult?"
"If they're clustered together, that's even better."
Geom Mojam didn't grasp my meaning either. But time was short, so I called for Cheoryeogeunji. When he approached, I asked,
"How many carpenters and blacksmiths are in the fortress?"
Caught off guard by the question, Cheoryeogeunji answered with a hesitant expression.
"Pardon?"
Darkness came creeping in from the sea. The pitch-black night seemed alive as it advanced toward the land. The Tang forces at the harbor held their shield walls without budging. To wear them down, I deliberately kept the cavalry circling nearby. I ordered them not to chase kills but to deny the enemy any rest. So the cavalry feigned charges with loud shouts before pulling back. Every now and then, they unleashed volleys from Yeon Clan Bows, felling Tang soldiers who failed to block in time with their shields.
In the meantime, inside Bisa Fortress, the mobilized carpenters worked feverishly sawing wood. General Sobu-son, who had watched with initial confusion, now smiled knowingly as he realized what was happening. Time was tight, but with the refugees joining in to help, they produced far more than expected.
The black darkness enveloped even Bisa Fortress. Torches then lit up along the walls, including the west gate. Soldiers posted for vigilance exchanged watchwords. As I oversaw the carpenters and refugees at work, Geom Mojam approached.
"Master, will you lead the night raid yourself?"
"Of course. I can't hang back after suggesting it."
"I understand, but it's too dangerous. Let me go in your place—stay here."
"Having you around puts my mind at ease. I appreciate the sentiment, but I have to take the lead this time."
Geom Mojam bowed his head and turned away, looking like he wanted to say more. He'd already failed to protect me once before, and this time he hadn't brought many retainers since we'd come by sea. But with the blade of Jumong's Spear on my left wrist and on-site command to handle any surprises, I felt ready. As I watched from the watchtower, General Sobu-son approached. He wore leather armor and had a hooded cloak instead of a helmet.
"Preparations are complete."
"Let's move."
I was already in leather armor with a hood. I'd strapped the blade of Jumong's Spear to my left wrist and tucked the Hwandu Greatsword that Geom Mojam had handed me into my belt at the back. Many of the soldiers gathered at the west gate wore light clothing without shields or spears. Instead, they carried trimmed logs and leather straps. Behind them were soldiers clutching small earthenware pots. Of course, half were fully armed and standing ready.
At my signal, Cheoryeogeunji on the gate tower shouted to open the gate. The firmly shut west gate slowly creaked open. I took a deep breath and waited, then stepped out when it was half-open. Pitch darkness blanketed everything, and without lights, descending was no easy task. But since I'd climbed it once before, we made it down without much trouble. Midway sentries doubling as guides whispered watchwords and led the way. With their help, we descended the mountain and reached the harbor where the Tang forces were dug in.
The Tang army had clustered tightly at the harbor in shield formations, with campfires dotting the area. This made it easy for us to approach after coming down. Some of the cavalry that had been harassing them all day remained, still patrolling the perimeter. The horsemen took turns resting, but their targets couldn't, so the enemy must have been utterly exhausted.
We crept within about a hundred paces, then set down the logs we'd brought. We lashed them together with leather straps. Meanwhile, the soldiers assigned to guard duty advanced a bit further and erected wooden shields. From behind them, they scattered iron caltrops. The nails, forged by the blacksmiths, were driven into the ground around stakes. Ideally, we'd have pounded the stakes fully into the earth, but since it was March and the ground was still frozen—and hammering would make noise—we skipped it. Urged on by whispering officers, the defensive line went up quickly. Seeing the rear preparations wrap up, I finally let out the breath I'd been holding.
What they were building behind the defensive line was a type of simplified trebuchet called a hapho. I'd started designing it based on references from historical novels I'd read back in modern times. Cross two logs in an X-shape, bind them with leather straps, and stand them up. Face another set bound the same way, lay a beam across the top, and tie a pillar to it—done. Dozens of straps on one end, a paddle-like sling on the other. It was a primitive trebuchet powered by men pulling the straps to launch. Pondering how to make the night raid effective, the hapho had come to mind.
Once the hapho were assembled, earthenware pots were lined up beside them—thirty per machine. As I watched silently, Geom Mojam whispered from nearby,
"How did you think of this method? Truly ingenious."
"We have to use moves they won't expect."
The Tang forces ashore would have anticipated a night raid. But they'd expect a close-in charge with spears and swords. That was the last thing I had in mind. Geom Mojam, peering ahead, whispered,
"They've caught on."
"That's fine. In fact, it's better that way. Isn't it?"
Geom Mojam grinned as he caught my drift.
"It is."
They might not see us, but they couldn't miss the sounds.